- Source
- Polybius. Vols. 1-4. Büttner-Wobst, Theodor, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1893.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:21.31.1-21.31.16
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The Aetolian and Roman envoys arrive in Rome, where the Senate's anger is rekindled by King Philip of Macedon. However, the Athenian envoy Leon successfully persuades the Senate to make peace by comparing the common people to the sea and their agitators to the wind.
οὗτοι μὲν οὖν παραλαβόντες τούς τε Ῥοδίους καὶ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἔπλεον ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον·
These men, then, taking the Rhodians and the Athenians with them, sailed for their proposed destination.
παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ Μάρκος ἐξαπέστειλε Γάιον τὸν Οὐαλέριον καί τινας ἑτέρους τῶν φίλων πράξοντας1 τὰ περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης.
In like manner, Marcus also sent out Gaius Valerius and some others of his friends to negotiate the terms of peace.
ἀφικομένων δʼ εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, πάλιν ἐκαινοποιήθη τὰ τῆς ὀργῆς πρὸς Αἰτωλοὺς διὰ Φιλίππου τοῦ βασιλέως·
When they arrived in Rome, the anger against the Aetolians was once again rekindled because of King Philip.
ἐκεῖνος γὰρ δοκῶν ἀδίκως ὑπὸ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν ἀφῃρῆσθαι τὴν Ἀθαμανίαν καὶ τὴν Δολοπίαν διεπέμψατο πρὸς τοὺς φίλους, ἀξιῶν αὐτοὺς συνοργισθῆναι καὶ μὴ προσδέξασθαι τὰς διαλύσεις.
For he, believing that Athamania and Dolopia had been unjustly taken from him by the Aetolians, sent messages to his friends, requesting them to share his anger and not to accept the peace treaty.
διὸ καὶ τῶν μὲν Αἰτωλῶν εἰσπορευθέντων παρήκουεν ἡ σύγκλητος, τῶν δὲ Ῥοδίων καὶ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἀξιούντων ἐνετράπη καὶ προσέσχε τὸν νοῦν.
Therefore, when the Aetolians entered, the Senate disregarded them, but when the Rhodians and the Athenians made their entreaties, the Senate relented and paid attention.
καὶ γὰρ ἐδόκει μετὰ Δάμωνʼ ὁ Κιχησίου λέων2 ἄλλα τε καλῶς εἰπεῖν καὶ παραδείγματι πρὸς τὸ παρὸν οἰκείῳ χρήσασθαι κατὰ τὸν λόγον.
For it was felt that, after Damon, Leon the son of Cichesias spoke well on other points and, in the course of his speech, made use of an appropriate comparison for the present situation.
ἔφη γὰρ ὀργίζεσθαι μὲν εἰκότως τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς· πολλὰ γὰρ εὖ πεπονθότας τοὺς Αἰτωλοὺς ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων οὐ χάριν ἀποδεδωκέναι τούτων, ἀλλʼ εἰς μέγαν ἐνηνοχέναι κίνδυνον τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν ἐκκαύσαντας τὸν πρὸς Ἀντίοχον πόλεμον· ἐν τούτῳ δὲ διαμαρτάνειν τὴν σύγκλητον,3 ἐν ᾧ τὴν ὀργὴν φέρειν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολλούς.
For he said that they were naturally angry with the Aetolians; for though the Aetolians had received many benefits from the Romans, they had returned no gratitude for these, but had brought the Roman supremacy into great danger by kindling the war against Antiochus; but that the Senate was making a mistake in this, namely, in carrying their anger against the common people.
εἶναι γὰρ τὸ συμβαῖνον ἐν ταῖς πολιτείαις περὶ τὰ πλήθη παραπλήσιον τῷ γινομένῳ περὶ τὴν θάλατταν.
For what happened to the masses in states was very similar to what occurred on the sea.
καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνην κατὰ μὲν τὴν αὑτῆς φύσιν ἀεί ποτʼ εἶναι γαληνὴν καὶ καθεστηκυῖαν καὶ συλλήβδην τοιαύτην ὥστε μηδέποτʼ ἂν ἐνοχλῆσαι μηδένα τῶν προσπελαζόντων αὐτῇ καὶ χρωμένων·
For the sea, according to its own nature, was always calm and stable, and on the whole of such a character that it would never trouble any of those who approached and used it;
ἐπειδὰν δʼ ἐμπεσόντες εἰς αὐτὴν ἄνεμοι βίαιοι ταράξωσι καὶ παρὰ φύσιν ἀναγκάσωσι κινεῖσθαι, τότε μηθὲν ἔτι δεινότερον εἶναι μηδὲ φοβερώτερον θαλάττης· ὃ καὶ νῦν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Αἰτωλίαν συμπεσεῖν.4
but when violent winds fall upon it and disturb it, forcing it to move contrary to its nature, then nothing is more terrible or more fearful than the sea; which indeed had now happened to the people in Aetolia.
"ἕως μὲν γὰρ ἦσαν ἀκέραιοι, πάντων τῶν Ἑλλήνων ὑπῆρχον ὑμῖν εὐνούστατοι καὶ βεβαιότατοι συνεργοὶ πρὸς τὰς πράξεις·
”For as long as they were uncorrupted, they were of all the Greeks the most well-disposed to you and your most steadfast helpers in your undertakings;
ἐπεὶ δʼ ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς Ἀσίας πνεύσαντες Θόας καὶ Δικαίαρχος, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς Εὐρώπης Μενεστᾶς καὶ Δαμόκριτος συνετάραξαν τοὺς ὄχλους καὶ παρὰ φύσιν ἠνάγκασαν πᾶν καὶ λέγειν καὶ πράττειν, τότε δὴ κακῶς φρονοῦντες ἐβουλήθησαν μὲν ὑμῖν, ἐγένοντο δʼ αὑτοῖς αἴτιοι κακῶν.
but when Thoas and Dicaearchus blowing from Asia, and Menestas and Damocritus from Europe, threw the multitudes into confusion and forced them contrary to their nature to say and do everything, then indeed, being ill-advised, they wished you ill, but became the authors of evils to themselves.
ἀνθʼ ὧν ὑμᾶς δεῖ πρὸς ἐκείνους ἔχειν ἀπαραιτήτως, ἐλεεῖν δὲ τοὺς πολλοὺς καὶ διαλύεσθαι πρὸς αὐτούς, εἰδότας ὅτι γενόμενοι πάλιν ἀκέραιοι, καὶ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔτι νῦν ὑφʼ ὑμῶν σωθέντες, εὐνούστατοι πάλιν ἔσονται πάντων Ἑλλήνων.
In return for which, you ought to be implacable toward those men, but to pity the common people and make peace with them, knowing that when they become uncorrupted again, and in addition to other things are now saved by you, they will again be the most well-disposed of all the Greeks.”
" ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀθηναῖος ταῦτʼ εἰπὼν ἔπεισε τὴν σύγκλητον διαλύεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς Αἰτωλούς.
The Athenian, then, having said this, persuaded the Senate to make peace with the Aetolians.
- 21.31.2πράξοντας
Future active participle in the accusative plural masculine, expressing purpose ("to negotiate"). It agrees with the preceding object Γάιον τὸν Οὐαλέριον καί τινας ἑτέρους τῶν φίλων.
- 21.31.6μετὰ Δάμωνʼ ὁ Κιχησίου λέων
The manuscripts read λέων (lion) in lowercase, but this is a corruption of the proper name Λέων (Leon), the Athenian envoy. The phrase μετὰ Δάμωνʼ is an elision of μετὰ Δάμωνα (after Damon), indicating that Leon spoke after Damon, who was another Athenian envoy.
- 21.31.7ἐν τούτῳ δὲ διαμαρτάνειν τὴν σύγκλητον
An accusative-with-infinitive (ACI) construction in indirect speech introduced by ἔφη ("he said"). τὴν σύγκλητον is the subject accusative of the infinitive διαμαρτάνειν. The dative demonstrative phrase ἐν τούτῳ ("in this") is concretely explained by the relative clause ἐν ᾧ... ("in that...") in §21.31.8.
- 21.31.11ὃ καὶ νῦν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Αἰτωλίαν συμπεσεῖν
A relative clause in indirect speech. Although verbs in relative clauses within indirect speech are typically in the optative or indicative mood, here the infinitive συμπεσεῖν is used, influenced by the main ACI construction (specifically εἶναι). The relative pronoun ὅ acts as its subject. τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Αἰτωλίαν is a dative phrase meaning "to those in Aetolia".